2290
by EndlessPaine
Summary: Shepard and Liara are finally living the life they have dreamed of. Cerberus is gone. A new frontier lies within Andromeda, but can Rex and Kota get it together to lead the team into a new galaxy? The answers to the real truth are hidden behind lies. Sequel to 2286.
1. Chapter 1

**2290**

**Chapter 1**

In the year 2286, the once pro-human group known as Cerberus made a re-emergence after it was thought to be completely dismantled for nearly a century. It sought to infiltrate all society, not just humanity, to take it over as a whole. The leader of the terrorist organization believed that there was more to the Reapers than already believed and used their technology against them. Spectres Alex "Rex" Williams and Kota T'soni worked to dismantle Cerberus once again eventually receiving help from the thought to be dead Savior of the Galaxy, Commander Shepard.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Hi, I'm Rex...and I'm addicted to narcotics."

"Welcome Rex," the circle of about ten people around her replied in unison.

Rex fiddled with a small circular sliver of metal between her fingers while gazing down at the floor. She seemed a bit troubled and this raised a bit of concern from the group leader.

The leader, a female, tilted her head and asked, "You seem troubled Rex. Is there anything on your mind?"

"Today," Rex said with hesitation, "Today is my first re-birthday..."

"Congratulations," the woman said with a smile, "You should be happy and proud of yourself."

The soldier glanced up to the leader with a worried look and said, "What happens from here? I mean...I feel like I should feel different...but I don't."

"You keep moving forward. This change is a slow process and because of that it may seem like nothing is different, but in fact things are very different. With hard work and strong will, it will get better."

Rex simply nodded, her front paying off to seem like nothing, but simple worry for her big day. She managed a fake smile. No one would realize the nightmares had returned. With that, they moved on to the next person who felt like they had something to share, and so on.

After an hour or so, the meeting concluded and Rex stood up and slid on her leather jacket. She shook hands with a few people who congratulated her on a year of sobriety and thanked them for telling her how great of an accomplishment it was. She played it off well for them. In all honesty, she just wanted to get out and go home, but she had to act as if she were actually interested in what addicts thought of her.

Finally, the pleasantries were over and she walked out to her car. The door opened automatically upon sensing its owners presence and she sat inside, the door sealing itself once again. Rex let out a heavy sigh before deciding to return home.

xxxxxxxxxx

Day was breaking on Thessia. Sunlight gleamed through the cracks of the shades in Shepard's and Liara's bedroom. Neither of the two occupants of the bed stirred. Liara's back was turned towards Shepard with the human's left arm draped over her side and the other making a pillow beneath the asari's neck, blue hands clasping the one closest to her face. Every night they would be cuddled up in a different position, but every morning they woke up like this, the retired soldier holding her asari bondmate protectively.

Little blue feet lightly tiptoed into their room, headed carefully to their bed. The small blue child climbed up and promptly plopped down on Shepard's side. The human only stirred slightly.

"Daddy," the child said softly at first. When this did not receive an acceptable reply, she began poking Shepard in the cheek to get her attention. "It's wakey wakey time!" She shouted.

Liara, awake now, smirked and lifted up a bit when she felt Shepard trying to pull her arm away. She turned over in time to see Shepard grab the small child and pin her to the bed before attacking her with a barrage of tickles. Their daughter let out a wail of laughter as she was tickled.

Alex chuckled and let up with her attack, sitting back on her feet. "Reza, I suggest you run," she said to the child with a mischievous smile.

Reza was Alex's and Liara's second child. She was conceived not that long after Cerberus' demise. The child was a small ball of enormous energy and sometimes she wiped her parents out. Her laughter was contagious and her hero was her father, though not for the same reasons everyone else had.

Reza blinked innocently at Shepard. "Why?" She asked.

Alex lunged forward as if to tickle her again. "Because I'm gonna getcha!"

The child half giggled and screamed before tumbling off the bed and bolting out the door. When she realized her father hasn't chased her after all, she carefully made her way back to the room and peaked in. That's when Shepard suddenly jumped towards her. Reza screamed again and ran, all the while laughing. This time Alex really chased her, catching the little bundle of joy.

Liara had also gotten out of bed and stood in the hallway smiling as she watched her wife scoop up their child and proceed to throw her in the air and then catch her. This used to frighten her and she used to plead with Alex not to do it, but in time she grew accustomed to the act. No one could have pegged Shepard to be the type of parent she was. That was because everyone else only knew the way Shepard was on the field. Liara saw a completely different Shepard as a lover and as the father of her children. Alex wasn't the same cold and calculated person in this light. She had a gentler touch and approach to things. A few years back, Liara could not have even dreamed for this moment and she smiled every time she saw her family.

Shepard ended her assault and set their little blue child down before stepping to her wife. They gave each other a quick kiss on the lips before Alex asked, "Want me to whip up some breakfast?"

Liara smiled and gave a gentle nod. Thankfully, Shepard's cooking was not like her driving.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The construction of the Galaxias Relay was the biggest undertaking since the Crucible. Every intelligent race in the Milky Way was hard at work on it. Now, with Cerberus out of the picture, it wasn't such a big secret. This relay would be the door to new frontiers, if it worked. It was only a few months from completion, which meant it would be tested soon, and hopefully they would have successfully sent the first immigrants from the Milky Way to Andromeda. It was risky, but with the help of the Reapers, everyone was confident.

Kota stood behind Ivy's pilot seat, arms crossed behind her back. She gazed out on the sight of the enormous relay as they got closer. For the moment, she was the commanding officer of the Normandy SR-3.

After battling PTSD and addiction for three years, Rex stepped down temporarily. The Alliance did not strip her of her rank even after she threw her tags in the face of military brass, nor did the Council take away her Spectre status. Rex was a hero as far as they were concerned, and even heroes have their troubles. Commander Williams was simply on hiatus until she gave further notice.

The red head cleared her throat to break the silence and asked, "So, how is Rex doing these days?"

"She's actually doing a lot better," the asari replied with a smile, "Her anxiety has calmed down quite a bit. It's almost nonexistent." As far as anyone else knew, Rex had only suffered from PTSD. The only people who knew her other problems were Kota and the group Rex went to, not the Alliance, not the Council, not even their parents. Rex had made Kota promise to never tell them. She was too ashamed.

"That's great," Ivy said happily, "Shit happens to the best of us. I'm just glad she's pulling through. Will we be seeing her any time soon?"

"Yes, actually," Kota replied, "She's planning on taking back her spot next week."

"Really? Awesome! Uh, n-not that you're bad at what you're doing or anything."

"I know, I know."

"So what are we doing here today?"

"Well, Admiral Vega wanted me to join him in checking up on this relay. The Alliance and the Council both want to know how soon they can get this thing running."

"Ah, I see," Ivy said as her comm chimed, "Oh, speak of the devil. The Admiral wishes to board the vessel."

"Let him in," Kota said with a nod. She turned to go greet James upon his arrival.

xxxxxxxxxx

Xavier Mason was making rounds to ensure everyone was at work, doing what they were supposed to be doing. He had taken a special part in the construction of the new relay by consulting directly with the Reapers. After his rounds, he met up with his assistant, an asari.

"You know what to do when they get here, right? You know everything they're going to be asking about?" Mason asked.

"Of course," the asari answered, seeming less enthused about her job than he was about his. In fact, being a secretary/assistant was not her profession. She had degrees of all sorts in anthropology. This was just her foot in the door to exploring new things first hand.

"Good, good," Xavier said as he caught a glimpse of a shuttle from the corner of his eye. "They're here. I'll leave you to it." Mason walked off, leaving the asari to herself and the visitors. He had more important business to tend to.

The shuttle door opened and out walked Kota and James. Mason's assistant almost dropped her data pad and at the same time James' jaw dropped. Kota stood there with a look of confusion.

"I'll be damned," Vega said.

"James," the other asari said, "Is that you?"

"Yeah," James replied, "This is Treeya. She helped me out a long time ago in a stint with the Collectors. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm Xavier Mason's assistant," Treeya answered, "But I'm really here because I want to be one of the first to go through this relay to explore a new galaxy."

"I see," James said as if he were considering something. Treeya seemed as frosty as ever. He turned to the asari next to him. "Treeya, this is Spectre Kota T'soni. She's here with me to represent the Council. We just want to see how things are going."

Treeya's eyes met with Kota's and she stepped forward to shake her hand, a human gesture she never thought she would become accompanied to. "T'soni? Really? Any relation to Dr. Liara T'soni?"

"Yes," Kota nodded as she shook the other asari's hand, "She's my mother."

"Really," Treeya said amused, "She was my mentor for a while, years back of course. I haven't kept up with her. I had no idea she had a child. Well, that's great."

"So, how are things going here?" The Admiral inquired.

"Very well actually," she replied, "We are expecting it to be at completion in two months and eight days from today. Come, I'll give you a tour." Treeya turned on her heel and began to walk. It was certainly a surprise to see James Vega again. She had heard of his ascension of rank, but never expected to run into him again after Fehl Prime. Maybe she would catch up with him later. Right now was not the time to get caught up in thinking if he ever thought of her still.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rex threw a few outfits into a rather large duffle bag along with some toiletries. She heard the door to her apartment swish open and knew Kota had returned home from her day of work. They were lovers, but they had not gone as far as to consider themselves bondmates like Shepard and Liara were, even though they lived together in a spacious apartment on the Citadel.

"I'm back here," Rex stated loud enough for the asari to hear her.

Kota walked to the room and stood in the doorway. "Hey, what's up? What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd head down to Earth for a few days," Rex replied, "Probably go visit Mom."

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah," the human answered assuringly, "This whole re-birthday thing is just...I dunno...with you having to work so much, and I don't blame you at all for that, I just don't want it getting to me."

"Baby, if it's bothering you that much, I can take some time off."

"No, no. It's ok. Really. I just want to go see my mom for a bit."

Kota seem reluctant. "You promise nothing's wrong?"

Rex walked up to the asari and kissed her gently. "I promise. Everything's fine."

**Hey guys, I know I've been out for a very long time and I apologize for that. Life keeps kicking me at every turn. I lost my previous job and got a new one. I have been going through anxiety and depression as well. But I have realized that when I can write I don't have so much anxiety. It's a nice distraction. So hopefully this will keep moving forward. Thank you everyone who has stuck with me. I can't wait to read to your reviews. **


	2. Chapter 2

**2290**

**Chapter 2**

Everything was a roar of explosions around her. The exploding ground caused her ears to ring and dirt to rain down on the trench she had her back to. She tried to slow her breathing and concentrate. All she could hear were the muffled voices of dying men shouting around her, gunfire, and her own heartbeat. Sweat dripped down her face and her helmet felt heavy on her head. She clutched the gun in her arms and gulped as she got ready to return fire on the enemy. Suddenly, a small spherical piece of metal dropped in the trench by here feet. Her eyes widened as she found her voice.

"Grenade!" Kacie shouted at the top of lungs as she shot up from bed. It took a moment to realize it was just a nightmare. Her body was drenched in sweat and it took a few minutes to catch her breath. She looked to the other side of the bed to see it was empty.

Nikki must have been on call last night. With nothing happening with Normandy at the moment, the doctor had been working temp at Huerta.

Kacie asked herself how long these dreams would go on, but she already knew the answer to that question as she remembered her conversation with Shepard after the Cerberus mission.

_Kacie was leaning against the wall of the elevator. It stopped and the doors opened. It wasn't her floor. Commander Shepard, who had just gotten back to the Normandy, stepped in next to the blonde version of herself._

_"Cheating death once again, huh?" Kacie said._

_Shepard did not answer._

_"You know what the Illusive Man was talking about, don't you?"_

_The Commander turned her head slowly and looked at Kacie with a straight face._

_"You aren't the only one who remembers. Will people ever learn the truth?"_

_"It doesn't have to be known," Shepard finally spoke, "It's irrelevant at this point."_

_Kacie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're still the same typical Alex."_

_The Commander suddenl_y _grabbed Kacie by the collar pulling her from the wall. "Don't you EVER say that again," she said angrily, yet quietly, "I am NOT the same person."_

_"People will find out sooner or later," Kacie replied narrowing her eyes._

_"Not if I can help it," Alex said as the elevator came to a stop. She shoved Kacie back against the wall before the doors opened and she exited._

The blonde sighed and crawled out of bed to walk to the bathroom. Kacie thought it was strange at first for her muscles to feel a little sore and stiff, but shrugged it off. She stripped down, getting ready to shower, but noticed something out of the corner of her eye in the mirror. She stopped and looked more closely at herself in the mirror. It looked like a thin white stripe had been painted from her forehead line back to the middle of the top of her head.

"Fuck," she barely said beneath her breath.

xxxxx

Xavier was at his desk, monitoring progress on his workers' activities when Treeya paged him.

"Dr. Mason," his assistant said, "You have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"Kacie Hawk, sir."

Mason stopped typing a report he was working on and froze for a moment. Treeya asked if he was still there. He snapped out of it. "Uh, send her in."

The doors to his office slid open and Kacie walked through. She looked around before plopping down in the chair in front of Xavier's desk. She propped her feet up on his desk and leaned back. "Nice set up you have here, Xavier."

"Kacie, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Oh, relax, I'll be going through the relay on the Normandy anyways. I'm not here to cause trouble. I need your help."

"Help? With what?" Xavier asked, slightly confused.

"You notice anything different about me?"

"No. You still lack respect for people and their property. You're still the same."

"Physically, you moron."

Mason grumbled and looked closer at the blonde. "You've got some grays. You look like you've aged-oh!" In his realization, he jumped up and walked around his desk to her to get a closer look.

"It's back."

"Damn," he said with a twinge of sadness, "I thought being fused with synthetics would have erased your condition."

"Looks like it only delayed it," Kacie replied, "but you know as well as I do, once the symptoms arise, the deterioration starts happening quickly. Dude, you've gotta help me."

He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kacie, don't you think it's time to let go?" He asked softly.

The blonde clenched her teeth and looked at him angrily. "Are you fucking kidding me? I am not dying here." She glanced out the window to the relay that was under construction and then back at Mason. "I refuse."

Xavier stood back and gave the woman a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, I always have a back up plan. I hope you like snow."

"Snow?"

"That plan involves going to Noveria."

"You mean, you..."

Mason simply nodded.

xxxxxx

Alex had left Thessia early that morning. There was something she had to fix and make right. She made sure to wear a hat and sunglasses to conceal most of her identity. It was not widely known that Shepard was still alive. Of course rumors had arisen with the collapse of Cerberus but thanks to the Council, Alliance, and the Shadow Broker, she could retire in peace for the most part. It wasn't fun trying to avoid the public eye, but it was better than being mobbed at every turn. Sometimes she wished she could be normal.

Shepard stepped out of the shuttle and looked at the ship in front of her. She didn't usually get the sensation of what people called butterflies. The last time she felt them would be when Liara first told Shepard she loved her. However, this was the first time she had seen the Normamdy SR-2 in a very long time. The vessel had been preserved as a monument of the Reaper War and aside from the repairs to the damage it received in the war, it had not been modified or changed one bit.

Alex stepped into the ship and began venturing through it, reliving memories, some good, some bad. Her plan was to explore everywhere else, but the CIC. It would be the last part. Shepard started with the bottom deck and went up, reminiscing on the old days. The monument was pretty quiet for the most part. It wasn't busy except for particular anniversaries of certain events such as the end of the war or when Shepard became the first human Spectre or her birthday. After making her way around, she returned to the CIC, where most of her work was done besides on the battlefield. Alex walked up onto the platform where the Galaxy Map would usually pop up. She ran her fingertips across the metal railing before gripping it with both hands. She pressed into the rail with arms extended, dipping her head down. A feeling of being overwhelmed washed over her as she let out a heavy sigh.

After composing herself, she turned her back to the platform and went to the memorial wall. There was her name, just above Anderson's. Alex took a deep breath and looked around to make sure no one could see her. She reached forward and grabbed the plaque with her name, pulling it off the wall. Shepard placed it into a messenger bag she had hanging from her shoulder and pulled another plaque out, replacing it. With that, she left the ship quickly.

xxxxxxxx

She waved her omnitool in front of her hotel room door to open it. Rex walked in and dropped her bag onto the bed. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. She didn't like lying to Kota, but she couldn't stick around at the moment. Her paranoia had returned with a vengeance and she didn't know if she could stop herself from using again. She just wanted to get away from everything and everyone for a while. Kota and Ashley didn't keep in contact with each other often so it shouldn't be a problem.

Rex walked to the window of her room and looked down to see a rather large club across the street. Maybe a few drinks wouldn't hurt. After all, alcohol wasn't her problem. She shrugged and thought, 'Why the hell not?'

Upon entering the club she saw crowds of people of all species dancing to the loud music, which was thundering with bass so deep, the floor beneath her feet rumbled. Rex liked the sensation of the beats thumping into her chest. She pushed her way through the crowd and made it to the bar. The bartender, another human, tipped his head to her.

"I'll have a Psychotic Biotic," Rex ordered.

He nodded and pulled out a shot glass, coating it with habanero sauce before pouring in whiskey, bourbon, vodka, and Red Bull. He slid the glass to her.

Rex let out a breath before turning the glass up. She winced as she slammed the glass down. It took a second for the kick to wear off and she could breath again. She looked at the bartender again and said, "A few more of those and I'll be feeling pretty good. I'll have another."

A girl walked up to the bar next to Rex and ordered a drink after the bartender was finished with Rex's second serving. She was tall for a woman, maybe just a few inches shorter than Rex. Her hair was long and wavy as well as a deep shade of red. Light blue eyes turned towards the soldier as the redhead got her drink.

"You look familiar," the woman said over the music.

Rex winced as her shot went down and then she opened her eyes to the woman giving her a confused look.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," the redhead said again. Then she noticed the small metal beads around Rex's neck, knowing that military tags were at the end of them beneath the soldier's shirt. "I'll be damned! You're Commander Rex Williams of the Alliance."

Williams winced, but not because of another drink. Nowadays she didn't care much to be noticed in public. Now she knew how Shepard felt. "Uh, yeah...that'd be me..."

"Oh, don't worry," the woman said as she took a seat next to Rex, "I won't cause a scene or anything. Oh, where are my manners. My name is Zena Stevens."

"Nice to meet you, Zena."

"Likewise," the woman said as she looked closer at the soldier, "You know, at first I couldn't tell. You look different from the pictures all the vids and news articles show."

Indeed Rex had a different look to her than from four years ago. She had let her short dark hair grow just past her shoulders and kept it a bit neater than before. She didn't do it for any kind of femininity, she still had her masculine ways and looks to her, she just needed a change. It wasn't just the hair though. She used to be bright and cheerful, always excited for a mission. Now, she seemed cold, without a single emotion to show to the world.

"I guess the camera adds ten pounds after all," Rex forced out. She wanted out of this broken shell of a person she used to be, but had always been afraid to snag on sharp edges of the shell. That's why she needed to be numb before reaching out. Another shot was down and her fake confidence was up. She slammed the glass down and said, "I know you didn't just come over to point out who I am."

Zena giggled as sipped her own drink. "Of course not. I'm new in town. So, I am looking for new friends. I had no idea you resided here."

"Oh, no I don't," Williams replied, "Just here on leave. Where did you come from?"

"I was living on the Citadel for a while working at Huerta," Zena answered, "But I wanted planetary life, so I had my residency transferred here."

"So you're a doctor?"

"Yes, that would be a fair assessment. I specialize in ortho."

Rex gave her a confused look. Science and technology flowed all around her, but it wasn't her strong suit. She failed that subject once in grade school.

"It means I work with bones."

"Really? I would have thought with all of our synthetics, doctors like you would be obsolete. No offense of course."

"None taken. People usually make that assumption. Fractures can heal themselves. Always have been for the most part. However, when someone comes in and a bone is poking through their skin, someone has to push it back in and set it."

"I'm not trying to be rude, but that doesn't seem like much."

"Oh really? Have you ever grown a leg, bone, muscle, and all, for a soldier who just had his crushed and amputated?"

Rex took a moment to understand what she meant and smirked at her. "No, I can't say I have."

"Mhmm. We may have been joined with machines, but we're still organic. We still break. Someone has to put us back together."

"Right. So, Dr. Stevens, mind if I buy you a drink?"

The redhead grinned at the soldier and moved closer. "I don't see why not."

xxxxxxxxx

Mason stood outside the door of his lab that was stationed on the snowy cold planet. Hawk was right behind him shivering.

"Fuck, can't you hurry up," Hawk said with chattering teeth, "I'm freezing!"

"I told you to pack for cold weather!" Mason shot back, "It's Noveria!"

The sensor above the door scanned over Xavier and confirmed it was the owner of the lab before the doors slid open. At the sound of alarms going off inside, the both of them rushed in.

"What the hell?!" Mason shouted as he scrambled to shut off the security system. The place was a complete and utter mess. Glass was shattered in all directions. Unknown liquid was glistening across the floor. Datapads had been scattered.

Mason tried to make sense of it all, but suddenly bolted to another section of the lab that held three human sized containers. All three had the glass broken through, but only two held bodies that were slumped over. One was a clone of himself, the other was a clone of Kacie, both throats had been slashed.

"No! No! This can't be happening!" Mason shouted as he began inspecting the bodies.

Kacie had followed the scientist into the room and clenched her teeth at the sight. "What the fuck, Xavier?! What happened to my back up?!"

"I don't know!"

"What do you mean you don't know?! And where's the other body?! Who is the other body anyways?"

The man became silent.

"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me. You're kidding me right?!"

"Look!" He snapped, breaking his silence, "We just need to calm down. I can make you another. You'll be fine in the meantime."

"It will take two years!"

"With our new parts, your disease shouldn't progress as fast as before."

"Ok, so what do we do about crazy bitch until then?"

"Nothing."

"What?! She killed my back up! Plus you and I know she's capable of much worse!" Kacie narrowed her eyes.

"Which is exactly why we can't do anything! The implications of us bringing her identity into the open will be dire. I can assure you of that. If what I think happened actually happened, she will be smart and hide from the spotlight."

"Then I won't bring her out in the open," Kacie replied with a pissed off tone before she walked out the door.

Mason went to stop her, but the blonde had already left.


End file.
